Ledovec Czech

Ledovec (www.ledovec.cz) is a non profit non governmental organization based in 2001. Since 2003 Ledovec focuses on psychosocial rehabilitation, counselling, sheltered living, supported employment and leisure and day activities for people with psychiatric problems in the region of Plzen. Ledovec is helping about one hundred of clients and having twenty fulltime workers, mostly therapists.

Ledovec is the only institution that provides community based psychosocial services for people with mental illness in a region of about 500 thousand inhabitants. Ledovec is also the only non government organization in the country which systematically works toward implementation of Supported Education into the Czech educational and health system. Ledovec started its first supported education project in 2006 and since that it has spread it into three regions of our country. Ledovec runs Supported Education web site www.normalnestuduju.cz – “I study normally”), created Supported Education toolkit for students and teachers.

Ledovec has established effective partnerships with the two regional mental health institutes in Plzen (Psychiatric Clinic in Plzen, Mental Hospital in Dobrany) and institutes/foundations for psychosocial rehabilitation in Prague (Association of Community Based Services, Czech Association for Mental Health). In view of the theme and (ultimate) target group of this project, the cooperation between Ledovec and the University of West Bohemia is especially relevant.

On SE projects Ledovec cooperates with institutions in other regions of Czech Republic such as Práh in Brno (“Treshold”, www.prah-brno.cz), Péče o duševní zdraví in Pardubice (“Mental health Care”, www.pdz.cz).

It has supported dozens of students since 2006, gaining ‘good practice’. This support is based on three pillars:

2) Support of students with psychiatric problems, their families and school environment

3) Creation of “supporting net” that consist of professionals from medical, social and educational institutions that provides coordinated multidisciplinary support of student in need and helps destroy further barriers in Czech educational system.

Ledovec will do the assessments in the Czech Republic, describe best practices and contribute to the development of the toolkit for Supported Education, as well as dissemination activities.